Sacramento Outdoor Film Festival Focuses on Fun Features For Grown-Ups

In 2014, around 77% of the U.S. population saw at least one movie in theaters. But this summer, Sacramento residents will be able to enjoy movie screenings in the great outdoors. And unlike other al fresco film series, this one is just for grown-ups.

Starting in June, the Sacramento Outdoor Film Festival will screen free movies at Fremont Park. They’ll start with four Coen brothers films before moving on to subsequent screenings. Robert Hayes, owner of Sacramento Outdoor Movies, intends for this series to appeal to mature movie buffs.

“Most of the [outdoor screenings] around town are for the families with young children,” Hayes says. “Everybody loves them and I love doing them, but I wanted to do a series of outdoor movies for ‘big kids.’ These are movies that small kids wouldn’t be interested in, or [that] wouldn’t be appropriate. I want to show movies for art’s sake.”

The series kicks off with Fargo, followed by a lesser-known Coen brothers flick, Barton Fink. Oscar winner No Country For Old Men will be shown in mid-June, with cult classic The Big Lebowski rounding out the quartet at the end of the month. Of course, White Russians will be served at the big finale.

Hayes also plans to book local bands to play before movies are shown, and he intends to bring in food trucks for these events. Hayes also wants to partner with local charities, giving them the profits from sales of beer and wine.

This concept serves as Hayes’s reboot of a concept he first tried a few years ago. When he lost money on the initial screening, he decided to abandon the idea until he could try again.

“Other cities — San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago — are doing [this concept],” says Hayes. “The ultimate goal would be to tour this thing around to different parks around Sacramento, and [screen] these movies — documentaries, independent films, art films, shorts — all the way through the summer.”

The Sacramento Outdoor Film Festival will show one movie every Saturday throughout the month of June. Screenings will begin after sundown, which will likely be after 9 p.m. For Sacramento artsy night owls, these events will be sure to please.